CPS - Week 1

By Evan McInnes

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Theme:
Observation

Context: 

Study of New Urban Topographics, specificaly Lewis Baltz & Bernd and Hilla Becher.
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/n/new-topographics

Senses and the City by Mags Adams and Simon Guy
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.2752/174589307X203047

Roland Barthes photography and philosophy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_Barthes

Given the presumption that true objectivity is impossible, I propose to express this through an exercise of beautifying the mundane and overlooked aspects of our constructed environment. 

Method:

I will take black and white photographs of constructs around our city that are generally considered mundane or bleak, and construe them in an artistic manner.

Responses:

See below!

Reflections for Folio:

This theme by design pushed me to think outward. I was drawn to the aspects of the world around me that do not usually merit attention. Though I have worked in this style of photography before, it was a refreshing endeavour to do it in a new environment. I feel the motive behind my photographs were still aligned with my previous photography practice, and that tells me something about my inclination towards looking for beauty in everything – including the urban environment. I find this rather peculiar, as I have always felt intimately connected with the natural world much more-so than the urban one.

Having said this, I was trained and educated as a Designer in my undergraduate, and found myself frequently surrounded by friends and mentors with a Design or Architecture background. With this experience came the revelation that everything in our urban landscape is designed. There is something fascinating in that. Whether the driving force behind an object or building was economic, functional, aesthetic or otherwise, it was still considered before it was created. These considerations brought me an appreciation of the material itself, as well as the product.

What I enjoyed most about this exercise was the spontaneity. I simply ventured out into the city and allowed inspiration to find me, rather than hunting frantically for it. I think that more time spent in passive reflection and observation would be beneficial for my process in the future.